"He thinks I’m an idiot. I know it’s him": Ryanair’s boss again slams Elon Musk and still refuses Starlink Wi‑Fi on its planes
During the airline’s earnings presentation, Michael O’Leary said the device’s antenna was driving up kerosene usage and that no one would pay for the service.
Michael O’Leary, the media boss of the low-cost airline Ryanair, has a new enemy: Elon Musk. After vigorous and flowery exchanges on X, the CEO once again attacked the American billionaire. During the presentation of the operator's half-year results, he put a coin back into the machine: "I have no intention of reconciling with him.
He thinks I'm an idiot. Me, I know he's the idiot," reports Bloomberg. At the center of the dispute, the deployment of Starlink on board Ryanair planes.
While many airlines, even low-cost ones like Easyjet, are installing high-speed satellite wifi technology in their fleets, Michael O’Leary categorically rejects this idea even if he concedes that it is one of the most effective technologies for connecting at altitude. Overconsumption of 1.5% The manager has two arguments up his sleeve: kerosene consumption and the economic model. “Starlink is a very good system, but this technology causes additional fuel consumption of 1.5% due to aerodynamic drag,” generated by its antenna on the aircraft cabin.
“With airline fuel at $170 per barrel, the last thing I want to do is install a system that penalizes consumption by 1.5%,” he adds. As Ryanair is particularly exposed to this outbreak, like all low-cost airlines, the argument is understandable. For Michael O’Leary, the return on investment is also problematic.
It is impossible for Ryanair to offer the service like traditional companies, since its economic model is based precisely on the additional costs paid by the passenger. But according to him, "if it's free, some of our passengers will use it. If you have to pay, there is no revenue model."
He also disputes the figures from Starlink which estimates the number of its passengers ready to checkout at 60%. The system is however popular with airlines and it is now a criterion of choice for certain passengers. “The feedback from customers is extraordinary, truly extraordinary,” assured Ben Smith, CEO of Air France-KLM, speaking to BFM Business.
The manager announced last September that the entire Air France fleet would be equipped by the end of 2026. “Starlink is really (the best of the) industry benchmark for wifi, wifi is much faster, much stronger,” he declared last February.
Machine-translated from French
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- BFM Business3 Nov, 15:31
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